Altered Destiny
by Maleficent-darkgoodwitch2416
Summary: What if Udonna got to help raise her son? What happens when Leanbow returns and Nick insists she tells him the truth? Will she be able to? How will Leanbow react? What happens the other rangers find out that Nick has secretly been living a double life? Will this affect the team dynamics or not?
1. Prologue: Finding Mommy

_Altered Destiny_

Three-year-old Nicholas Russell slipped out the back door of his parents' home. If anyone asked him, he would insist they weren't his parents. He would find his real parents. He snuck into the forest, carrying his baby blanket—he brought it everywhere with him in the hopes that he just might run into his mother or maybe his father. Surely, one of them would recognize it.

He soon got lost and ran into another child. The little girl looked at him and then grabbed his hand and led him further into the forest, yelling, "Udonna!"

"What is it, Clare?" another woman—Udonna—asked.

Nick peered shyly up at Udonna. "He has Cousin Bowen's blanket," Clare blurted out.

Udonna knelt down and realized that little Nick was her son. She picked him up and set him on the couch and said, "Do you know where your parents are, little one?"

"No, but I'm going to find them," he said, stubbornly.

Udonna sighed and waved her hand over the crystal ball and soon located Nick's adoptive parents' home. She picked him up and set him on her hip. "Clare, stay here. I'll be back soon," Udonna ordered, before casting a transportation spell that would take the two to his bedroom.

She placed Nick in his bed and then slipped downstairs, leaving a note saying that Nick was home.

Nick opened his eyes—Udonna was his mother and was trying to leave him. He climbed out of bed and ran down the stairs after her. He quickly caught up to her and grabbed onto her leg. "Mommy, don't go," he begged, burying his face in her leg.

Udonna sank to her knees and wrapped her arms around the crying child. "Shh, shh, can you be strong—like Daddy—for Mommy?" she asked.

Nick clung to her, as his adoptive mother walked over to the two. "You must be his mother," she murmured to Udonna.

Udonna nodded and Mrs. Russell continued, "It might be best if you be a part of his life. He'll just run away again to find you."

Udonna looked at her son and then at Mrs. Russell, before nodding in agreement to split the custody of the three-year-old. From that day forward, Nick would spend half his time in the Mystic Forest of Briarwood with Udonna and Clare and the other half in the human realm—long weekends, vacations, and breaks were always spent with Udonna and Clare, while during school, he remained in the human realm.


	2. Broken Spell

Sixteen years later, the now nineteen year old Nick, or Bowen, depending on what world he was in, paused. He silently reached out to Udonna's mind and thought, _Mom, I forgot to tell you last weekend, but I'm moving to Briarwood to stay with my sister._

He felt Udonna smile and heard her respond, **that's wonderful, Bowen. But promise me you won't get into fights at school. I don't want to have to be called to the principal's office this year.**

Nick nodded silently and thought, _OK, Mom, I promise_.

**Thank you, Bowen. I'll see you in a couple weeks.**

He then raced toward Briarwood, when an earthquake occurred, damaging his bike. He managed to push the bike into town, and started fixing it.

An old man appeared, begging for help to find his brother. When the five teens—Nick leading the way, followed by Chip and Vida, and then Xander and Madison—entered the woods, the old man vanished. "What happened to the old man?" Xander asked.

"Don't they say that if you go into these woods you never come out again?" Nick countered, sarcastically.

The others nodded and Nick muttered, "I _doubt_ that's true."—for he had gone into the woods multiple times as he grew up and he had _always_ gotten back to his adoptive parents' houses safely.

A cloaked figure appeared and sent the five to Rootcore.

The figure entered the main room via a back entrance and said, "Welcome young ones. I am the sorceress Udonna and this is my home, Rootcore."

Nick ignored the others and ran right over to the sorceress and threw his arms around her waist. "Hi, Mom," he grinned up at her.

"Hello, Bowen. Welcome home," she kissed his forehead.

The others stared at each other and then Madison asked, "What's going on?"

"Udonna's really my mom and she wasn't really technically supposed to help raise me, but she's been a part of my life for the past sixteen years, since I sort of may of kind have run away to find her," Nick explained.

The others looked at each other.

Then he asked, "What was the earthquake about earlier?"

Udonna took a deep breath and said, "The forces of Darkness are returning."

"What? But you said that Dad and Auntie Niella had sealed them away," Nick frowned.

"Niella sealed the Gate—you know that it was not a permanent solution—while your father sealed away the Master," Udonna clarified.

She handed out the wands, revealing that they were the next group of Mystic warriors. Nick looked up at her and Udonna saw the message clearly in his eyes—he _would_ live up to his father's legacy.

Nick nodded and soon heard and saw Clare running into the room, calling, "Udonna! Udonna!"

Udonna smiled at the twenty-year-old and nodded. Clare paused and looked at the teens. "Oh, hello," she said awkwardly, before whispering something in Udonna's ear.

Udonna pulled back and looked at the teens. "Stay here. Do not go into the woods on your own. It's not safe," she ordered, before casting a transportation spell.

Nick glanced at his cousin, who began asking, "How does she do that? I practice and I practice, but nothing."

He grinned and said, "Uh, Clare?"

She turned back to the teens and said, "Hello again. I'm Clare, sorceress-in-training here at Rootcore."

Nick nodded and the others prepared to leave. He walked over to Clare and hissed, "What did you tell Mom?"

"Bowen?" Clare asked, before engulfing him in a bear hug.

Nick swiftly returned the hug and repeated, "What did you tell her?"

"Trouble at the Mystic Village," she whispered.

"The one where we'd always visit?" he asked.

She nodded and Nick turned to the others and said, "I'm going to help Mom."

They nodded and followed Nick to the village.

Udonna asked, "Didn't I tell the five of you to stay at Rootcore?"

Vida quickly pointed at Nick and said, "It was his idea."

"I want to help," Nick stated, plainly. "What can we do?"

Five minutes later, the teens battled a group of Hidiacs and Styxoids while Udonna battled some sort of monster.

The group all gathered and Nick asked, "Mom, why are they returning now?"

Udonna shrugged—she wondered that herself.

Suddenly, they were attacked. Nick pushed himself to his feet and Udonna ordered, "Don't even think about it, Nick!"

He reluctantly agreed to let his mother handle the situation.

Xander walked toward the new opponent and said, "Hi. I'm Xander…"

"I am Koragg the Knight Wolf," the warrior intoned. "This is the beginning of the end. You will wish that today was your last."

"Way too doom and gloomy," Nick whispered in his mother's ear. Udonna fought back a smile at her son's words.

Koragg summoned Catastros and transformed into the Centaur megazord. "A centaur? A real centaur? I want one!" Chip blurted out. Nick groaned.

Udonna ordered, "All of you—that includes you Nick—stay back. You are not ready to fight his kind."

Nick nodded and anxiously watched the battle between his mother and Koragg with the others. The instant she sank to the ground, Nick flew to her side and glared toward Koragg, vowing that he would pay for what happened.

The six returned to Rootcore, where Udonna again gave them the wands. "Why do I need a wand now?" Nick asked, confused.

"They are not just wands," Udonna murmured. "They are also your morphers."

Nick nodded and Udonna agreed to turn the wands into cell phones.

The others left and Nick asked, "Mom?"

"Yes, Bowen?" Udonna replied.

"Did Koragg seem familiar?" he asked. "His voice, I mean?"

Udonna nodded and Nick asked, "Do you think the Master tried to change Dad?"

Udonna ruffled her son's hair and said, "Bowen, you know as well as I that your dad died sealing the Master away."

Nick nodded reluctantly and returned to town, where Madison got him a job at the Rock Porium.


	3. Practicing & Memories

A few days later, the group was studying several spell books. Nick looked up at Udonna and asked, "Mom? Um, I've already studied most of these books—they're just the basics—or books that Dad studied."

Udonna smiled and, pulled out another set of books. She took Nick outside and said, "I want to see if you can try one of these spells."

Nick nodded—they already knew he had his father's powers—they were his dominant magic—but what of his mother's abilities? Could he use the Snow Staff like she could? That was something they wouldn't find out unless they somehow stole it back.

Nick carefully attempted the first spell. Udonna watched him carefully—for the past sixteen years, she had always worked with him using only the books his father had studied. It was time that she taught him what she had learned when she was a child.

Nick glanced up at her and murmured, "Mommy?"

"Yes, Bowen?" she asked—something was wrong. Nick only called her Mommy when something bugged him or when he was in excruciating pain.

"Why did Dad do that? Why not someone else?" he asked again. Udonna was pretty sure that Bowen asked that question at least once every time he'd visit her.

Udonna shrugged and said, "You know how stubborn your father was. I had asked him to let someone else go, but he insisted that it was the only way."

Nick nodded, reluctantly.

Udonna rubbed his shoulder and murmured, "Is this about your parents?"

Nick nodded—when he had been seven, his adoptive parents had divorced, and during that process, rather than deal with the stress of them arguing over where he'd stay, he had spent his second grade year at Briarwood Elementary and lived with Udonna and Clare until the divorce had been finalized. Now, he sometimes would get upset at the idea of his birth parents' separation, just as his adoptive parents' divorce had upset him—it still did upset him. And things were still pretty messy. Udonna would still get Nick over long weekends, vacations, and breaks, but only if given permission could he visit on normal weekends. Rather than deal with the stress of him running off, all his relatives told Nick he could visit Udonna, if she said it was OK. Unfortunately, his adoptive father spent years trying to change the court's rulings, so that Nick could not spend time with Udonna, and if he did, it was very limited contact. However, the fact that she was indeed—genetically proven—his biological mother, allowed Nick to stay with her whenever he wanted to, and he did not have to spend time with his adoptive father.

Suddenly he froze. "I have met the others—well, Madison and Vida and Chip—before," he said, grinning up at Udonna.

She smiled and said, "Why don't you go talk to them?"

He nodded and raced back inside. "Maddie? Chip? V? This is going to sound crazy, but do I remind you of anyone?" he asked, nervously.

Madison rubbed her forehead and slowly said, "There was a boy—in second grade—named… Oh my gosh! Nick!" She jumped out of her seat and threw her arms around the team leader.

Vida and Chip stared at each other and then joined the hug. Xander blinked and asked, "What did I miss?"

"I met Maddie and V and Chip twelve years ago, during my second grade year," Nick confessed. "Those rumors about going into the forest and never coming out again are false. I lived here at Rootcore with Mom and Clare that year. And I have come and gone in the forest for years."

The others nodded and Chip said, "Are we all still friends?"

"Of course," Nick grinned, remembering how his friendship with the Yellow, Pink, and Blue rangers had begun.

* * *

_Nick glanced up at Udonna. "Now, Nick, I know this is hard for you, but I want you to be a good boy and behave, OK?" Udonna asked her seven-year-old son. Nick nodded and asked, "Mommy?" "Yes?" Udonna replied. "I wish my parents would stop fighting," he sniffled. She hugged him and led him to his classroom where he met a red-haired boy who was wearing a cape, yelling that he was a superhero. Udonna looked at Nick and said, "Promise me you'll try to make some friends." Nick nodded and wandered over to the cape wearing boy. "Hi," he whispered shyly. "Hi, you must be Nick. I'm Chip," the cape-wearing boy declared. "Hi, Chip," Nick grinned. "Come on. Come meet my other friends," Chip grabbed Nick and led him over to Madison and Vida and swiftly introduced the three to each other. Madison, deliberately not looking at Nick, asked, 'We'll always be friends, right?" "Yeah!" Vida cheered. "Uh-huh," Chip nodded his head in agreement. "Always," Nick, just as deliberately not looking at Madison, promised._

* * *

Vida grinned and said, "Well, you two have made progress."

Nick and Madison looked at each other and then at Vida. "What are you talking about?" Nick demanded.

"You two wouldn't talk to each other or look at each other to talk to each other, because when you would, you'd say something stupid," Vida explained.

Nick blushed at the same time as Madison.


	4. Udonna, Nick's Hurt

The group all laughed and talked as they walked from work to Rootcore until Nick staggered suddenly. "Nick?" Vida asked.

Madison whirled and snapped, "Chip! Contact Udonna! Now!"

The yellow ranger nodded and quickly whipped out his morpher. "Udonna?" he asked, fearfully, watching the red ranger as he stumbled away from the group, sinking to the ground, yelling in agony.

"What is it? What's going on?" she asked.

"It's Nick," Chip began slowly. "He's hurt."

Udonna ordered, "Get him to Rootcore! Now!"

He nodded and he signaled the rest of the team to help him support / carry Nick.

They arrived and Udonna carefully took Nick from the other rangers and laid him on the couch. She nodded as Clare handed her a small package of frozen food. Udonna pressed it against Nick's head and murmured, "Shh, Bowen, shh. I've got you. I've got you. It's OK. It's OK. Everything will be alright."

Nick shifted and curled into his mother's side, whimpering, "My head hurts, Mommy."

She rubbed his shoulder and whispered, "It will be OK. I've got you."

Nick sniffled and he slowly sat up and leaned against her chest.

She smiled and gently began singing a lullaby that she always sang to get Bowen to sleep when he was a child and when he couldn't sleep at night when he'd spend the night at Rootcore.

"_Come, stop your crying. It will be alright. Just take my hand. Hold it tight. I will protect you from all around you. I will be here, don't you cry. For one so small, you seem so strong. My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm. This bond between us can't be broken. I will be here, don't you cry. 'Cause you'll be in my heart. Yes, you'll be in my heart from this day on now and forever more. You'll be in my heart, no matter what they say. You'll be here in my heart, always. Why can't they understand the way we feel? They just don't trust what they can't explain. I know we're different but deep inside we're not that different at all. And you'll be in my heart. Yes, you'll be in my heart from this day on, now and forever more. You'll be in my heart, no matter what they say. You'll be here in my heart, always. Don't listen to them 'cause what do they know? We need each other to have to hold. They'll see in time, I know. When destiny calls you, you've got to be strong. I may not be with you so you got to hold on. They'll see in time, I know. We'll show them together 'cause you'll be in my heart. Believe me, you'll be in my heart. I'll be there from this day on, now and forever more. You'll be in my heart, no matter what they say. You'll be here in my heart always. Always… I'll be there for you. I'll be there for you always, always, and always. Just look over your shoulder. Just look over your shoulder. Just look over your shoulder. I'll be there, always."_

Nick drifted off and turning to the others, Udonna asked, "Did this happen before?"

"Yeah, earlier today," Madison replied.

Udonna frowned and watched as Nick shifted, crying and whimpering. She knelt down beside her son and murmured, "Hush, Bowen, shh, it's OK. I've got you, little one. You'll be alright."

Nick reached up and grabbed up at his mother, crying. Udonna carefully picked up her son and sat down, holding him on her lap and gently began rocking him.

The rest of the team exchanged glances and then quietly left Rootcore, not wanting to interrupt the mother/son moment.


	5. Nightmares & Memories

Nick shifted suddenly and grabbed onto Udonna's arm, clinging desperately to it and crawling around on her, whimpering, clearly frightened by something. She rubbed his back and asked, "Did you have a bad dream, Bowen?"

Nick nodded and she pressed, "Was it your father?"

Nick nodded and began shaking violently. Udonna rubbed his back and murmured, "It's OK now. He can't hurt you anymore. He's gone now. He's not coming for you. I won't let him."

Nick nodded, but Udonna knew her son still feared his adoptive father—and she didn't blame him. She too was slightly frightened by Gregory Russell, but she always hid that fear so that she could protect her son. She found herself wishing Leanbow was home, to help protect their son. She rocked her son and the memory of when she'd learned of the abuse flooded her mind.

* * *

_Bowen entered Rootcore shaking violently. "Bowen, what are you doing here? Don't you want to drop your school things off at home?" Udonna asked._ _"No, Mommy, don't make me go back there. I wanna stay here—at home—with you and Clare," he sobbed, grabbing onto her leg, breaking her heart. "Why not?" she asked, picking up the crying six-year-old. "What's wrong, Bowen?" Bowen wouldn't look at her and buried his face against her chest. "Bowen, what is it? What's wrong?" She asked, growing concerned. He raised his tear-stained face and the instant she saw the back eye, knowing his tendency to get into fights with the class bully, she asked, "Did you get into a fight at school?" "No, Mommy," he whimpered. "It's OK, you can tell me. Then who did this to you, my little one?" she asked, comforting her son. "Father, Mommy," Bowen clung to Udonna, crying harder. Udonna clamped her teeth together and said, "That does it!" She and her son went to the Russell household, where she informed Cynthia of what was going on with her husband and Nick and Udonna informed the stunned Cynthia, "Bowen will stay with me until you've gotten away from Gregory. I entrusted the care of the most important person to me—my __**ONLY **__son—to you and your husband and I refuse to helplessly stand by if he's being abused." Cynthia nodded and within weeks, what would become a lengthy divorce was underway. Unfortunately, Cynthia and Udonna were both immediately locked in a fierce custody battle for Nick against Gregory. Nick, however, refused to let anyone take him away from Udonna. He told the social worker that he felt safest with his Mommy holding him and since that day, referred to Udonna as Mommy when something was troubling him and when he was in intense pain. Udonna and Cynthia agreed to continue with the current system, but instead of going to visit Gregory like his sister, Nick would stay with Udonna on those weekends when his sister was with her father._

* * *

Udonna did feel slightly bad but no one could hurt her baby and get away with it.

Nick continued squirming around and Udonna carefully led him up to his room, where she tucked him into bed and began singing his lullaby.

"_Come, stop your crying. It will be alright. Just take my hand. Hold it tight. I will protect you from all around you. I will be here, don't you cry. For one so small, you seem so strong. My arms will hold you, keep you safe and warm. This bond between us can't be broken. I will be here, don't you cry. 'Cause you'll be in my heart. Yes, you'll be in my heart from this day on now and forever more. You'll be in my heart, no matter what they say. You'll be here in my heart, always. Why can't they understand the way we feel? They just don't trust what they can't explain. I know we're different but deep inside we're not that different at all. And you'll be in my heart. Yes, you'll be in my heart from this day on, now and forever more. You'll be in my heart, no matter what they say. You'll be here in my heart, always. Don't listen to them 'cause what do they know? We need each other to have to hold. They'll see in time, I know. When destiny calls you, you've got to be strong. I may not be with you so you got to hold on. They'll see in time, I know. We'll show them together 'cause you'll be in my heart. Believe me, you'll be in my heart. I'll be there from this day on, now and forever more. You'll be in my heart, no matter what they say. You'll be here in my heart always. Always… I'll be there for you. I'll be there for you always, always, and always. Just look over your shoulder. Just look over your shoulder. Just look over your shoulder. I'll be there, always."_

Nick fell asleep and Udonna smiled as Nick began to sleep peacefully.


	6. Missing Money & Fighting Koragg

After he woke up a half hour later, Nick said, "Mom, can I go talk to the others?"

She nodded and, after he left, the others entered Rootcore, Madison saying, "I can't believe that anyone would say Nick would do that."

"Nick would do what?" Udonna demanded, crossing her arms over her chest. _Now what were they saying her son had done?_

"Someone—Leelee—is saying that Nick stole the $1000 bank drop from the store," Xander explained.

"I don't believe it," Madison added.

"Nick's a great guy," Vida added.

Chip nodded and Udonna, always willing to stand by her son, nothing would budge her on that subject, asked, "When did the money disappear?" _Nick is an honorable young man—if he did take the money—which he didn't—he would have taken it right to the bank—which is exactly what—_Udonna flinched unnoticeably—_Leanbow would have done._

"Right after we all got back from dropping Nick off, here," Xander trailed off. Leelee could really hurt Nick—he needed their help.

"Come on, guys! Let's double check the store! We'll just have Nick stand guard at the front door," he added, leading the way back to the store.

Nick watched as the others ran by him and Vida yelled, "Stand guard!"

"Wha's going on?" he asked.

Madison said, "Long story short, the $1000 from earlier?—yeah, it disappeared—and Leelee is claiming that you stole it, but you were at Rootcore at the time of the money's disappearance, so unless you duplicated yourself…"

"Or it was my evil twin," Nick added.

"It wasn't you," she finished.

He nodded and he sent her inside. "Find that money! Fast!" he ordered.

She checked around the cash register and found the money. "Found it!" she called.

They all glared at Leelee and Nick asked, "Can I come in now?"

They nodded and Nick said, "Xander, let's just get the money to the bank—now—before it can disappear again."

Xander nodded and all five teens went to the bank, where the money was swiftly deposited.

Then Nick squeezed his eyes shut and demanded, "Who are you?"

"_Come to the beach and find out," _the voice told him.

"Guys, we need to go to the beach," Nick told the others as soon as they were done at the bank.

"All of you are here," Koragg observed.

"Koragg?" the others were stunned.

"I should have known," Nick muttered.

They swiftly morphed and soon battled Koragg.

They won, but lost their megazord power.


	7. Author's Note

**_A/N. Hey guys, thanks for all the votes so far. We're halfway done. Just 50 more votes and you'll learn who gets sacrificed to Max's wrath. So be sure to vote.  
_**


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